Neo-prog Virgin

I'd also recommend the Enid - I wouldn't describe them as easily accessible, but very worth the effort. "In The Region of the Summer Stars" is classic prog - not exactly neo-prog, but modern sounding, symphonic and, in short, really good! A lot of Peter Hammill's solo work influenced neo-proggers, but his voice is very much a matter of taste and his style varies wildly after the first 4 albums. These latter are all great prog - but in the classic sense, rather than strictly neo-prog.

Twelfth Night's "Fact and Fiction" is for me the best example of true neo-prog, although again not easy to get into, with the first 3 Marillion albums coming in close behind. Don't be put off by the fact that any of these are not "immediate" - after all, I wouldn't be recommending you pop music!!

Start with "Script for a Jester's Tear", "Misplaced Childhood", "Brave" or "Marbles" by Marillion. They really are the doyens of so-called neo-prog, and you really can't go wrong with them.

Panoramic wrote: 1. Marillion is a great early starter...The most accessible is Misplaced Childhood 2. Porcupine Tree Avoid Spocks Beard at all costs!! There's a thread here already about the lousiness of Spocks Beard to learn why.

Spock's Beard are not crap. 'The Light' is a classic prog album.

I can appreciate that you might not like them and advice is always useful to a newcommer but if you are going to 'rubbish' a band please qualify your remarks with more than a 'see other thread' caveat.

The first three Marillion albums:

'Script for a jesters tear' 'Fugazi' and 'Misplaced Childhood' are all highly recommended. Also try their live 'mini' album 'Real to Reel' These are all prog classics, which stand up along side most of what was produced in the 1970's IMO.

'Once around the world' by It Bites, is brilliant. Well produced, well performed and very accessable.

'Subterranea' 'Seventh House' and 'Dark Matter' By IQ are also 'modern' classics. You may want to check out some of their earlier stuff too. They've had quite a few albums out. Read the reviews in the archives, I think they are good indicators of whats good and whats not They've not let me down.

To be honest I dont like the term neo-prog. Its all just prog rock to me, regardless of when it was produced. It seems reminiscent of the way that modern pop music and dance music culture pigeon holes, and sub-classifies its artists, (RnB, Urban etc..). Surely we are above that??

My first recommend: IQ!!!

"Tales from te eLush Attic" and/or "The Wake", to find out how they sounded like in their eralier years; "Ever" and/or "Dark Matter" (their 2004 release), to find out what they have grown into.

Also, any of MARILLION's first 3 albums, PENDRAGON's "The Jewel", CITIZEN CAIN (good neo-prog for the 90s and 00s), TWELFTH NIGHT's "Art and Illusion", PALLAS' "The Sentinel" (good old days) and "The Cross & the Crucible" (nowadays). Also, MAGENTA's "Seven", ILUVATAR's "A Story Two Days Wide", SCYTHE's "Divorced Land" (great neo from Germany), DAGHMAR's two albums (from Quebec), and from Poland - QUIDAM (any of their 3 albums), ABRAXAS (any of their 3 albums, as well) & COLLAGE ("Moonshine").

I hope I'm useful and not too exhausting. Regards. 

It's good that you're susceptible to my deep and perceptive logic without me having to go into details. Spares me a lot of work.